Woman with a Sword and Woman with Scissors: Judith and Delilah in Art (RUS)
Event overview
Judith and Delilah are two of the most dramatic and complex female figures of the Old Testament. Their stories are often seen as opposites, yet upon closer examination they reveal striking similarities. Both women are bold, determined, and willing to go to great lengths to achieve their goals. Both perform actions that change the course of history and become decisive for entire peoples and for the heroes involved. And yet, tradition and art interpret them in fundamentally different ways. Judith is revered as a national heroine, the saviour of her people, an embodiment of female courage and virtue. Delilah, on the other hand, becomes a symbol of treachery, seduction, and dark intent — the personification of destructive power.
In this lecture, we will explore why actions so similar in their dramatic structure are judged so differently from moral and artistic perspectives. We will examine how theologians and artists have interpreted the figures of Judith and Delilah, what aspects were emphasised in painting, sculpture, and illuminated manuscripts, and how perceptions of these heroines evolved from era to era.
Special attention will be given to the Christian view of these stories: from the perspective of Christian ethics, neither of the famous deeds of Judith and Delilah can be considered exemplary, which makes their images even more complex and multilayered.
Lecturer: Julia Khlystun (PhD)
Duration: 1 hour
The lecture will take place in the Tea Room of Narva Castle and will be held in Russian
(Peetri plats 7, Narva)
Price: €7
